Reading Road Trip: Washington

I joined into the Reading Road Trip on Day 1, and here I am again, almost at the very end.  This time I get another state that is a favorite, and it is because one of my favorite series takes place here, Twilight.  But that's of course not all that is cool about Washington.  While the state flag is kind of boring (in my opinion), I still want to include it!

• Like the flag shows, the state was actually named for George Washington, and is of course the only state named after a president.
• Its nickname is the Evergreen State.
• The capital city is Olympia, while Seattle is the largest city.
• Mt. Ranier is there, and is the highest point.  But it also includes Mt. Saint Helens, a volcano that erupted back in 1980.  And when I visited it a few years ago, it was active again, although nothing has really happened.
• The state fossil is the Columbian Mammoth.
• As it is summer, I thought it would be appropriate to share with you that it is where the world's first soft-serve ice cream machine was located.
• You probably know that Starbucks was founded in Seattle.
• Washington contains the only rainforests in the continental United States.
• It became the 42nd state on November 11th, 1889.
• The state of Washington is one of only 7 states that doesn't levy a personal income tax.  (Hmm, maybe I need to move there)

Some famous people from Washington state are:

• Bob Barker, the original host of The Price is Right
• Octavia E. Butler, a science fiction writer, Orson Scott Card - author of Ender's Game and other science fiction books, Ann Rule- best selling author of true crime books, Gary Larson - cartoonist and creator of The Far Side, and Chuck Palahniuk - author of Fight Club.
• Famous singers such as Jimi Hendrix, Bing Crosby, and Kurt Cobain.  And a favorite rapper of mine, Sir Mix-A-Lot.
• Bill Gates, one of the world's richest men
• Several actors and actresses such as Anna Faris (Loved her in What's Your Number, based on the book 20 Times a Lady), Rainn Wilson from The Office, and Joshua Jackson from Dawson's Creek and more recently Fringe.
• Apollo Anton Ohno, US Olympic Speed Skater, also starred on one season of Dancing With The Stars.

Unlike my giveaway at the beginning of the month, I will only be keeping this one going for a week.  You will have a choice of one of the books below, they include books by authors from Washington, or that take place in Washington.  And it is International as long as The Book Depository ships to you.

• Beyond the Far Side, It Came from the Far Side, or The Hound of the Far Side by Gary Larson
• Any book from the Ender that is available in paperback
• Any paperback copy of any book from the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
• Any paperback true crime story by Ann Rule
• The Boyfriend List, The Boy Book, or The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart
• Stuck in Neutral or Cruise Control by Terry Trueman
• Misfit by Jon Skovron

Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter.  There are no mandatory entries, in fact the first one is free!  You may choose to follow my blog or any of the other choices for more entries though.  And when you're done filling it out, you can click on the button on the sidebar to go to the other stops on the tour.  

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Waiting on Wednesday: The Internment Chronicles: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting. This week I've chosen a book that I know a lot of other blogs posted as soon as the cover was released, and so I may be a bit behind.  But it is by an author that I just adore, Lauren DeStefano, author of The Chemical Garden series, which includes Wither, Fever, and Sever, the last one I still need to read.  I follow the author on Facebook and Twitter, and have been seeing all her little posts of bits of the new series, and so have been very intrigued to see how it would turn out.  So, here is the blurb for the first book in The Internment Chronicles:  Perfect Ruin:

On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 16-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan's older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil.

Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.

Sounds intriguing to me!  What do you think?  What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?  And while you're here, make sure you go sign up to win a $10 gift card on my stop in the Freedom to Read Hop, or one of the book on my stop on the Reading Road Trip.

Reading Road-Trip: Maine

Welcome to Day 1 of the 2013 Reading Road Trip Hop which is being hosted by I Like These Books and IceyBooks.  While I was disappointed to not be able to get the state that I live in (Missouri) or the one that I'm getting ready to start teaching in because it is right next door (Kansas), I was excited to get Maine, as one of my favorite authors of all time, Stephen King, lives there, and sets most of his books there.  The flag:

• The state motto is Dirigo as you see on the top of the flag, which means "I Direct".
• It contains the city Eastport, which is the city in the US that is the furthest east, and is considered to be the city that receives the Sun's rays first in the country.
• It's the only state that has a name with one syllable.
• The chickadee is the official state bird.
• It is nicknamed the Pine Tree state, hence the tree on the flag.
• It was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state on March 15th, 1820.
• The Vikings are believed to have discovered Maine more than 1000 years ago!
• The state animal is the Moose, they have more Moose per mile than any other state.
• There are 3,166 islands that are considered part of Maine.
• Maine produces 90% of the country's toothpick supply.

And I'm sure you know that Maine lobsters are pretty popular as well!  Some famous people from Maine besides Stephen King are:

• Joe Hill, but as he is Stephen King's son, can I count him as another?  
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - poet
• Judd Nelson, of The Breakfast Club fame
• Victoria Rowell, from one of my favorite tv shows, The Young and the Restless
• Author C.J. Stevens
• E.B. White, author of Charlotte's Web
• Anna Kendrick, actress who played Jessica in the Twilight movie series

For my giveaway, which you will have till the end of the month to enter, you may pick one of the books I've listed below.  These are books that either take place in Maine, or are by an author from Maine.  My giveaway is International, as long as The Book Depository ships to you.

• Any book from the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver
• Any book from the Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick
• Any book from the Need series by Carrie Jones
• Any of these books by Stephen King, It, Joyland, The Long Walk, The Shining, The Stand, The Mist, Carrie, Road Work, The Green Mile, Misery, Cujo, Needful Things, Cycle of the Werewolf, Different Seasons, The Cell, Skeleton Crew, Firestarter,  or Thinner.
• Siren by Tricia Rayburn

Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter.  There are no mandatory entries, in fact the first one is free!  You may choose to follow my blog or any of the other choices for more entries though.  And when you're done filling it out, you can click on the button on the sidebar to go to the other stops on the tour.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway